Philippine Airlines (PAL) has announced plans to launch direct services from Manila to Delhi and Mumbai in December 2026, creating the first nonstop air links between the Philippines and two of India’s biggest commercial centres. The flag-carrier revealed the move in a press statement on 25 September, saying the routes are still subject to final approval from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation but ticket sales will open “within weeks.” Under the proposal, PAL will operate three weekly Manila–Delhi rotations (PR 642/643) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and four weekly Manila–Mumbai rotations (PR 646/647) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Flights will depart Manila at 22:40, arriving in India shortly after 03:00 the following day; return services leave Delhi and Mumbai mid-morning and land back in Manila around 17:00, enabling same-day onward connections across Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Both routes will be flown with Airbus A321neo aircraft configured with 12 lie-flat business-class seats and 156 economy seats. While leisure travellers stand to benefit from journey times that are four to six hours shorter than current one-stop options via Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, PAL is pitching the service primarily at India’s fast-growing outbound MICE and cruise segments and at Philippine exporters seeking faster cargo access to the sub-continent. The airline says belly-hold capacity will plug directly into its Manila trans-Pacific network, offering Indian shippers two-day connections to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. For Indian corporates the flights open a one-stop path to Australia, Guam and key tourism islands in the central Philippines. Manila’s Bureau of Immigration confirmed that 30-day visa-on-arrival facilities for Indian cruise passengers and cruise ship crew have been extended to the new services, pending bilateral negotiations on reciprocal e-visa waivers for business visitors. Aviation analysts view PAL’s timing as strategic: Air India has already returned to Manila with four weekly Delhi services, and low-cost carrier IndiGo is awaiting slots for Manila and Cebu in early 2027. PAL president Richard Nuttall said the carrier aims to secure a first-mover advantage in Mumbai, tapping pent-up demand from India’s film, IT-services and diamond-trading communities. Travel-management companies urge Indian firms to consider the Manila connection for cost-effective trans-Pacific itineraries. Introductory return fares are expected to start around ₹38,000 (US$455) all-inclusive for Delhi–Manila, significantly undercutting existing options via Hong Kong or Bangkok.
Source: PortCalls Asia
